Nightmare Creatures
Microsft Windows & Nintendo 64 Mobile | producer = Nicolas Gaume | designer = Pascal Barret Laurent Beauvallet Cyrille Fontaine Marc Pestka | programmer = Alain Guyet Sébastien Morin | artist = Pascal Barret Benoît Milhorat | composer = Frédéric Motte | platforms = PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, Mobile | released = PlayStation Microsoft Windows |EU|5 March 1998}}Nintendo 64 Mobile | genre = Survival horror | modes = Single-player }} Nightmare Creatures is a 1997 survival horror video game developed by Kalisto Entertainment for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo 64. A sequel, Nightmare Creatures II, was released three years later. A mobile phone version of Nightmare Creatures was developed and published by Gameloft in 2003. Plot The story behind Nightmare Creatures draws upon gothic horror elements of the 19th century. The story begins in 1666, when a devil-worshiping cult called the Brotherhood of Hecate were conducting sinister experiments in London so as to take over the city, and then the world. The Brotherhood tried to develop an elixir that would endow them with superhuman powers. However, rather than creating their intended superhumans, their experiments created only grotesque monsters. When they decided to use these creatures as an army of conquest, one of their members, Samuel Pepys, set their headquarters on fire, resulting in the First Great Fire of London. The game takes place in 1834 when London falls victim to several evil occurrences. Monster sightings are reported along with news of people mutating into ungodly creatures, and that the dead are waking from their graves and walking among the living. All of London is in a panic and vulnerable to the schemes of Adam Crowley, a mad scientist and occultist enlisting the help of the Brotherhood. A book is dropped off at the home of Ignatius Blackward, a priest and occult expert. He finds it is the lost diary of Samuel Pepys, which contains the Brotherhood's research. Knowing he needs help, Ignatius sends the diary to a renowned American immunologist named Dr. Jean Franciscus of New Orleans, who shows up with his daughter Nadia. The doctor is murdered and the book stolen. At the funeral, Ignatius and Nadia are approached by a man who gives them a note reading: "Know about Adam Crowley, Brotherhood of Hecate --- HVHJ." Ignatius and Nadia head out to an address listed on the note, hoping to seek out Crowley and to neutralize the monsters. Gameplay Secondary weapons such as pistols, mines, fire bombs, and magic spells can be used in addition to each character's primary weapon. The game features an optional adrenaline bar which causes health to be lost if it runs out, and players are forced to continuously seek out and win battles to keep the adrenaline bar full. Release Bidding for the game's publication rights was reportedly fierce. Nightmare Creatures was published by Activision in North America and Sony Computer Entertainment in Europe. While the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows versions are essentially the same, the Nintendo 64 version saw a handful of minor changes. Given the limited storage capacity of the Nintendo 64's cartridge system, all full-motion videos were removed. Brief segments of scrolling text are used at the game's start and following each level to advance the plot. The platforming elements were made much easier in the Nintendo 64 version, and the health-depleting adrenaline meter could also be turned off in the options menu, allowing players to explore the environments at a more leisurely pace. Also graphically, the Nintendo 64 version is more crisp, clear and detailed than the PlayStation version, without the pixelization and texture-warping. The PlayStation version was released in Japan on February 26, 1998. Reception | Allgame_PS = | CGSP_PC = | CGW_PC = | Edge_PC = 7/10 | EGM_N64 = 4.825/10 | GI_N64 = 8/10 | GI_PS = 8.75/10 | GamePro_N64 = | GamePro_PS = | GameRev_PC = C+ | GameRev_PS = B+ | GSpot_MOB = 8.5/10 | GSpot_N64 = 6.7/10 | GSpot_PC = 5.5/10 | GSpot_PS = 5.7/10 | IGN_MOB = 6.5/10 | IGN_N64 = 7.4/10 | IGN_PS = 7.8/10 | NGen_PS = | NGen_N64 = | NP_N64 = 6.6/10 | OPM_PS = | PCGUS_PC = 82% | rev1 = Entertainment Weekly | rev1_PC = B- | GR_N64 = 65% | GR_PC = 51% | GR_PS = 78% }} Nightmare Creatures was a commercial hit, with global sales above 1.5 million units by January 2000. The PlayStation version of Nightmare Creatures received "favorable" reviews, while the Nintendo 64 and PC versions received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "While the visuals are compelling enough to drive many players forward, the repetitive action is enough to make most wait for a level select code and a weekend rental." Next Generation reviewed the Nintendo 64 version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Nightmare Creatures does grow bland after the first few levels, but the variety of items and new combos keep the game from diving into tedium. All in all, it's a welcome addition to the N64." Entertainment Weekly gave the game a B-, praising the 3D environments, and saying Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is dated and flat in comparison. Film adaptation On 8 December 2000, a film adaptation based on the game was announced, but never went into production. References External links * * *Official Website via Wayback Machine Category:1997 video games Category:Activision games Category:Horror video games Category:Mobile games Category:Nintendo 64 games Category:PlayStation (console) games Category:Single-player video games Category:Sony Interactive Entertainment games Category:Survival video games Category:Video games developed in France Category:Video games scored by Frédéric Motte Category:Video games set in London Category:Video games set in the 19th century Category:Video games about viral outbreaks Category:Werewolf video games Category:Windows games Category:Zombie video games